* = Emphasis
             { = Thoughts
             << = Song

             ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

             ~Part 1~ Los Angelas, CA

             "I can't believe we're in Los Angelas, Buffy. You know *how* amazing this
             is?" Willow smiled, staring out the window. Buffy just looked over at her
             friend and smiled.

             The streets seemed as if they were paved in gold. There were movie stars all
             over the place. They were mingling amongst themselves. Some were talking to
             interviewers. Some were getting their pictures taken. It was indeed the city
             of fame and fortune.

             Ever since the two girls had arrived, Willow hadn't taken her eyes off the
             scenery. Buffy was happy she was the one driving because Willow was too
             distracted.

             "Buffy! Look! It's Tom Cruise!!!" Willow screeched, pointing to a man who
             was talking to a few of his friends. Buffy laughed. {Just like a
             five-old-year in a toy store}

             <<Ooh, are you ready girls?
             Ooh, are you ready now?
             Ooh, yeh
             Kickstart my heart
             Give it a start
             Ooh, yeh, baby
             Ooh, yeh
             Kickstart my heart
             Hope it never stops
             Ooh, yeh, baby>>

             Just as Willow was getting used to seeing the movie stars, Buffy drove into
             a different part of town. Both of the girls' faces changed dramatically.
             Willow went from smiling, to almost tears.

             "Buffy ..."

             Buildings were burnt down. There were a few buildings that looked as they
             needed to be torn down. People were eating out of trash bins, warming by
             fires inside of barrels, living in boxes ... praying that tomorrow would
             bring a new day for them.

             "Cordelia told me she was living in a bad part of town, but I didn't realize
             it was this bad," Buffy said, looking at the face Willow was making. Willow
             nodded, then tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

             {I can't believe Cordy lives in a place like this ... or even works in this
             part ... oh god! Angel ...} Willow tried swallowing her tears, but couldn't
             stop them from flowing. She didn't want to think about Angel, or even Cordy,
             living in a place like this.

             "Willow ... are you ok?"

             Willow nodded. "Yeah. It's just hard to believe."

             "I know. It seems so horrible in reality. When Cordelia mentioned how bad
             things were here, I thought she was over dramatic. I thought things were bad
             in Sunnydale," she said.

             "I didn't think anything could be worse than the Hellmouth. Looks like we
             were both wrong," Willow whispered.

             They couldn't believe the things they were seeing. People were dying right
             before their very eyes, and this time, they couldn't stop the deaths. It
             wasn't a vampire doing the deeds, but it was life killing another life.

             As Buffy drove around the outer slumps of Los Angelas, both girls couldn't
             believe how bad things were. Cordelia had told them that things were bad,
             but they each didn't realize exactly *how* bad things were.

             As each girl were lost in their own thoughts, they had almost forgotten
             where they were headed. By the time they remembered where they were supposed
             to be, they had arrived right in front of the place that Cordelia told them
             to meet her. They were in the new hometown. They were at their new place of
             employment. They were in front of Angel Investigations.

             ~Part 2~ Angel Investigations: Cordelia

             Willow and Buffy both exited the car. The darkness surrounded them, but the
             streetlight that shined above Angel Investigations, radiated the beauty of
             the building.

             The building was made of brick, and stood in between two abandoned
             buildings. Across the street, was a cementary, which had a few lights shown
             throughout. The wind sent out a nice, soft breeze, creating a horrid
             atmosphere for both young women.

             As Willow looked around, she could sense something odd about this place. She
             wasn't sure why or what it was, but it frightened her. She hurriedly shut
             her door, and ran next to Buffy. Buffy looked at her, confused.

             "Wills, you ok?"

             Willow nodded. "Ye .. yeah. Can we go inside now? Please?" she smiled,
             shaking nervously.

             Buffy nodded, and grabbed Willow's hand. When she made sure it was safe to
             cross, she led them both across.

             Once they reached the building, they looked inside and saw that lights were
             on. Buffy gently opened the door, and peeked inside. Willow followed closely
             at her heels, not sure what to expect.

             The inside of the building of something they *did* not expect. The floors
             were tiled with a black and white floral pattern. The inside walls were
             wallpapered. There were ancient antique weapons, letters, patterns, hanging
             all through the hallways. There were ancient vases, photo's, everything that
             seemed as if it was mysterical or mysterious.

             When they finally stopped in front of the door that had 'Angel
             Investigations' on the front, Buffy quietly knocked.

             Cordelia, who was lost in concentration for the first time in her life,
             nearly jumped out of her seats when she heard the knocking. She looked at
             her watch, and whined. {Who the hell is that this time of night?}

             She threw her pen on the desk, and stomped to the door, pissed at whoever it
             was who knocked.

             "This had *better* be important," she screamed, throwing open the door. Her
             mouth shot open when she seen who it was. "Buffy! Willow! Oh my gosh! It's
             so good to see you!" she screamed, hugging both girls as they each walked
             into the building.

             "Good to see you two, Cordelia," Buffy smiled.

             "So, what brings you two to L.A?" she asked, returning to her seat.

             "Just ... things ..." Buffy said, looking at the floor. Willow slightly
             smiled, and offered to talk.

             "So, Cordy. How are things here?" she asked, taking a seat in front of
             Cordelia's desk, Buffy taking the other one.

             "You just wouldn't believe it, Wills! Angel has me stuck here in the office
             for god only knows how long, Doyle is out god only knows where, and Melanie
             and G are takin' the night off ... again!"

             "The two new workers, right?" Willow questioned.

             "Yeah. They are so adorable together. They remind me a lot of ... of ... to
             tell you the truth, I don't know," Cordelia laughed. "So, how long you plan
             on being here?"

             "We're not sure. We ... uh ... we aren't going back to Sunnydale," Willow
             stated, looking at Buffy. Buffy looked away as she tried to prevent the
             tears from flowing. She got up and excused herself and went into the other
             room.

             "Is she going to be ok?" Cordelia asked.

             "Yeah. It's still hard for her. Listen, if we tried hard not to mention
             anything from the past, it would make things a lot easier. It ... uh ... it
             was the reason for our leaving," Willow stated.

             Cordelia nodded in agreement. She understood. She wasn't exactly sure why
             Buffy had called off the wedding, but afterwards, no one had asked
             questions. They knew Buffy would talk when she was ready.

             "So, Cordy. When do we get to meet the other three members of the new Scooby
             Gang?" Willow laughed.

             Cordelia joined in her laughter. "We'll meet up with them tomorrow. They'll
             all be here at the office. Maybe you two could stop by and check everything
             out. It's getting kind of late."

             "Yeah. Listen, do you know of a hotel we could stay at?"

             "You don't have anyplace to stay?"

             "Not yet. We were hoping to be in town earlier, but things didn't work out
             that way."

             "Stay with me. I have plenty of room."

             "Are you sure? We don't want to intrude."

             "Wills, I'm positive. Besides, what Buffy needs is a little girl bonding.
             Who's better to help her out with that then two of her favorite female
             friends?" Cordelia smiled, then laughed. Willow joined her.

             Her and Cordelia never really got along, but for the past year or so, things
             had changed for them all. Buffy and Cordelia were now friends. Angel still
             stayed in touch with Buffy and Willow. Even though things were still rough
             between the ex-couple, they had finally worked everything out. They were
             each happy in their new lives.

             Willow smiled thinking of Angel. She couldn't wait to see the tall,
             dark-haired vampire again. She looked over at Cordelia, and smiled. The girl
             had tried hard to get along with Buffy and the others, and she had
             succeeded.

             After they collected Buffy and told her things would be better after a good
             night's rest, they headed for their destined vehicles. Cordelia in her car,
             and Buffy and Willow to theirs, with Willow behind the wheel.

             After they pulled out of the parking lot and off the side of the road,
             Cordelia took the lead. As she looked in her rear-view mirror, making sure
             the girls were behind her, she noticed Willow smiling at her from behind the
             steering wheel. She smiled to herself, thinking {It's great to have them
             home}

            ~Part 3~ Meeting the New Gang

            The next morning, things were hectic at Angel Investigations. The group was
             trying to track down a demon, but they weren't having any luck.

             Each member of the Investigations team had a special task. G, who was good
             at computers, had the job of tracking down all the latest deaths in L.A.
             Melanie, who was good at fighting, was there to fight off anyone who got in
             their way. Angel, who is the mighty vampire of the group, had the senses to
             track down the demons. Doyle, who was half-demon, half-human, had the
             visions he hated so badly. Cordelia's job was to keep everyone sane, if it
             was possible.

             Everyone within the realms of the Investigations team, each had a purpose.
             And they honored that purpose because it was their duty.

             Willow started to wonder what purposes her and Buffy would have for the
             Investigations team. Ok, she could see where Buffy would fit in, but what
             about her? The only thing she seemed to be good at was computers, but that
             was G's job. What good would she be?

             As the three girls headed into the building, Willow smiled shyly to herself.
             She was going to get to see her Angel after two years. {My Angel? *slight
             laughter* I hope he'll wanna be my Angel} she smiled to herself.

             Buffy looked around. There was something about this place that didn't seem
             right to her. She could feel a presense around them, like a vampire or
             demon, but shook it off. Afterall, Angel was a vampire and this Doyle guy
             was half-demon. {It's probably just them} she thought. But still, something
             felt odd. Like there was someone else there. Someone she thought she would
             never see again. Buffy shook off the thought. {I doubt I will ever see him
             again. I miss him} She sighed softly. Things were just not working out for
             her.

             Cordelia led them into the hectic site. Both girls heard screaming, things
             being thrown around, and the sounds of people fighting. When she opened the
             door, all three girls saw a frightening site.

             "Doyle! You don't know jackshit about this demon! None of us do! How the
             fuck are we going to find it?" G screamed, punching Doyle in the face,
             knocking him to the ground.

             "You bastard!" Doyle screamed, attacking G and landing punches to his head.

             Cordelia and the others ran in. Cordelia pulled him off just in time, and
             Melanie grabbed G. Cordelia looked at Buffy and Willow, then led Doyle into
             another room, slamming the door behind 'em. The two girls looked at the new
             members of the Investigations team, each members sizing up the other
             members.

             Buffy took in Melanie's beauty. The girl stood about Cordelia's height. She
             was toned, taned, and built well. Her hair was brown with a few blonde and
             red hilites, and she had hazel green eyes. {The slayer of L.A.} Buffy
             thought. Melanie wore black leather pants, ankle high two-inch boots, a
             white halter top that barely covered her stomach.

             G, however, was nothing like that. He was tall, probably around 6 foot.
             Short brown hair. Contacts. Blue eyes. He was muscular, but not too much. He
             snickered when he saw Buffy sizing him up.

             "So," he started in a british accent. "You're the slayer from Sunnydale?" he
             asked, wrapping his arm around Melanie's waist.

             Buffy nodded. "Yeah. I'm the slayer. This is my watcher, Willow."

             Willow smiled shyly, and Melanie laughed. "You're watcher?"

             Willow blushed. "Ye ... yes. I'm ... uh ... I'm her ... watcher," she said,
             swallowing the big lump in her throat.

             Melanie snickered. "Well, can't be any worse than mine. That is, if he were
             still alive."

             "Your watcher is dead?" Buffy questioned.

             "Isn't that what I just said?" Melanie replied, giving Buffy a pissy look.

             {What crawled up her ass and died?} Buffy thought.

             "Sorry," Buffy mumbled.

             Melanie walked and stood in front of Buffy. "Listen, bitch. I don't know why
             you're here, but why don't you go back to your pathetic hometown, and leave
             us the hell alone? We don't need you here. So, for whatever reason you are
             here, if you don't want to get your ass killed, leave my fucking city," she
             whispered.

             Buffy got right back in her face. "Think you're gonna scare me like that?
             You're wrong, Miss
             'I-don't-want-any-help-from-the-greatest-known-slayer-around' Bitch! I ain't
             here for you. I ain't here for him," she replied, pointing to G. "I am here
             ... for a reason you don't need to know. Now, my friend Willow. She is my
             Watcher. She is my friend. She is my protector. She is my guardian angel.
             She is my everything. And if you don't like her, fuck you. We don't need
             you, and I sure as hell am *not* going to leave because of some damn slut
             like you. You may not like me. That's fine. But at least treat me with a
             little bit of respect. Got it, slayer?" Buffy smiled, snickering.

             The two girls just looked at each other. Neither not sure what was going to
             happen next. Melanie backed away, giving Buffy the room she needed. "Sorry,"
             she said sarcastically. Buffy looked at Willow. The girl had a huge smile
             across her face, and when Buffy follwed her eyes, she saw him.

             He stood there. Tears in his eyes. He was smiling. Something Buffy had never
             seen him do, except when he was Angelus. {He looks good} she thought. She
             looked back at Willow, and took a few steps back to give the girl some room.
 

             Willow walked toward him slowly, small tears flowing down her face. Angel
             walked toward her, the same coming from his face. When they met in the
             middle, they just looked at each other, neither one making a move. Melanie
             and G looked at Buffy. She was smiling.

             "Did I miss something?" G whispered to Melanie.

             "Hell if I know. Something tells me that with those two around, things are
             going to get a hell of a lot stranger around this place," she laughed.

             "No doubt," G laughed. "No doubt in deed."

             ~Part 4~ A Great Deal of Sadness

             Angel and Willow stood there for a few minutes, just looking at each other.
             Angel couldn't believe how much Willow had looked like a woman. Nearly two
             years before, she had only looked like a little child in his eyes. And now,
             she stood before him, a grown woman.

             "Hey," Angel said, looking at her.

             "Hey, yourself," she responded quietly. "How are things?"

             "Good ... good. And with you?" he whispered.

             "Could be better I guess," she said shyly. Angel nodded, then looked at
             Buffy, breaking eye contact with Willow. "How are things, Buffy?"

             Willow stood there. Old feelings coming back to her as things used to be.
             {Figures! Still a little girl in his eyes. I don't think he will ever get
             over them, or see me as a woman} she thought, hating herself for saying it.

             Buffy nodded weakly. "Could be better," she said, trying to hold back her
             tears. "I uh ... I think I'm gonna go for a walk," she whispered, running
             out the door. Cordelia and Doyle, who had come out of the room, followed
             Melanie and G as they all followed Buffy.

             Willow walked to the door to follow, but was stopped by Angel's arm. "What
             is going on?" he asked in a stern voice. Willow just looked at him, and
             nodded. It was time to tell Angel the truth.

             ~*~*~*~*~

             Angel's apartment:

             Angel's apartment was something Willow *did not* expect. Sure, it was dark
             and gloomy, but she wondered how he got all of his furniture. She knew that
             before Angel moved to Sunnydale, he had no home. He lived on the streets,
             and fed off of other homeless people.

             His apartment showed who he was. When she first stepped into the apartment,
             to her left, was the kitchen. It had a small dining table, a stove, a
             refrigerator, a microwave, and a few other appliances.

             In front of her was a bar. It had approxiamately six stools, and could seat
             12 people sitting side by side.

             To her right, was the living room. There was a leather couch, two inn
             tables, two lamps, a T.V, which was very odd to her, and a window, with very
             heavy drapes so the sun wouldn't shine in, behind the T.V.

             She looked around the place with wide eyes. She walked around, touching
             everything just to see what everything felt like. When she walked further
             into the living room, she found the door to his bedroom {I wonder if his bed
             comfortable ... Bad Willow! This is Angel you're thinking about! He sees you
             as a little girl! Damn him! Goddess} she thought, sighing heavy. She noticed
             something moving in the corner, but paid no attention to it. Right beside
             the bedroom, was the bathroom. {Thank the goddess above he has one} she
             thought.

             She smiled to herself. This was the home of her crush, and she had hopes of
             getting to know everything about it in more detail. As she looked around
             more, she noticed a cabinet, but that it had a lock on it. She didn't even
             think about asking what was inside. If he wanted her to know, he would tell
             her.

             ~*~*~*~*~

             "Goddess," Willow exclaimed, looking around the apartment.

             "Well, this is it," Angel said quietly, shutting the door.

             "It's beautiful down here. Dark, but beautiful," she smiled softly at him.

             "So, tell me about everything," Angel said, leading her to the leather
             couch.

             Willow smiled shyly, taking a deep breathe. "Where do you want me to begin?"
             she said, taking a seat beside him.

             "How about why you and Buffy are in L.A. I don't mind because I am glad
             you're around, but there has to be a reason."

             Willow nodded, and her smile dropped. She stood up and started to pace in
             front of him. Angel watched with wondering eyes. {I guess something serious
             must have happened back in Sunnydale}

             Willow stopped pacing, and stood in front of him. "You know how ... uh ...
             there was somethings about myself that um ... I never told anyone?" Angel
             nodded. "Well, one of those things was that I am a watcher now. Buffy's
             watcher."

             "You're a watcher?" Angel questioned, looking somewhat confused. Willow
             nodded.

             "It's kinda fun. Buffy couldn't believe it when I told her though. She ...
             well ... took it better than I expected," Willow said shyly.

             Angel smiled. {She's beautiful when she acts like this} "Is that why you two
             left Sunnydale? For her protection?"

             Willow blinked, and looked away from him. She paused, taking another deep
             breathe. "Oh goddess. Ok, you know how Buffy called off her wedding because
             'she got cold feet?'" Angel nodded again in agreement. "Well, um ... that's
             *not* the reason she called it off."

             "It's not?"

             "No. The real reason is because um ... " Willow closed her eyes and took a
             deep breathe. "When she came home the night before her wedding, Riley wasn't
             expecting her. She found a romantic dinner planned, and she *thought* it was
             for her. So, she went into their bedroom, and woke him up. What she didn't
             expect to find ..." Willow's eyes went to the floor, not wanting to finish
             the sentence. "She found Riley ... in bed ... with a ... another ... woman."

             Angel's eyes looked all around the room. "My god. No wonder she's still
             hurting. Did she know the girl?" Angel questioned, standing in front of
             Willow.

             Willow nodded. "It was uh ... Angel, it was Faith," she said, looking up to
             him. She knew of the past relationship Faith and Angel had together.

             Angel's eyes left Willow's, and he sat down on his table. "Oh," he whispered
             softly.

             Faith had left L.A. and left Angel's heart six months prior to Buffy's
             wedding. Six months before she left him for good, she had said that she had
             some unfinished business in Sunnydale, and he had believed her. He thought
             it was just things from her past that she needed to clear up. It was just
             now dawning on him that the things she needed to clear up, was just an
             excuse to be with Riley.

             For the next few hours, Willow filled Angel in on everything that had
             happened. Angel couldn't believe everything that they had all went through.
             What was remarkable to him, was that Willow, Xander, Buffy, and even Giles,
             all remained good friends. It now seemed as if Willow and Buffy were the
             closest of the two.

             He had always known of the bond between the two girls. But he had also known
             that things were rough between the two girls there for awhile. He and Willow
             had kept in contact over the past two years, and when he had heard of
             Buffy's wedding, he was planning to attend.

             After he heard about the wedding being called off, he knew something was
             wrong. Buffy was in love with Riley, and he knew she wouldn't get cold feet.
             Now, he finds out that Buffy had found Riley in bed with another woman, but
             not just any woman, his Faith.

             "So, for the past year, she's been a member of the Initiative, and they kept
             the relationship quiet from everybody. I didn't know you and Faith had a
             relationship going on the whole time she was here, until after she slept
             with Riley. Her and I had a confrontation, and she told me everything,"
             Willow stopped, with tears in her eyes. "I'm going to go. When Buffy and
             them come back, please tell her I went back to Cordelia's," she said,
             getting ready to exit his apartment.

             "Willow," Angel whispered.

             Willow stopped, but never turned around. She didn't want Angel to see her in
             tears, knowing she had to keep her feelings secret.

             Angel watched her. He knew she was crying, but she would never admit to it.
             He was in love with her, but knew in his heart, she could never possibly
             love him. He knew having to tell him everything about the past two years had
             hurt, but he wasn't exactly sure why she was crying.

             "I need to go," she said quickly. "Goodnight," she said, running out the
             door.

             "Goodnight," he whispered, looking at the door she had exited. {I wish I
             could help her through this}

             The shadow in the room finally made it's appearance. "Why you let 'er leave
             like tha?" it questioned.

             Angel shrugged. "I don't know Spike. Why would she possibly love me? I'm
             just a demon after all. I've tried to kill her several times, and right now,
             things aren't right."

             "Bloody hell. You're a stupid ass, Poof!" he snickered at Angel.

             Angel just looked at Spike with a stern look on his face, "goodnight,
             Spike," Angel said, heading to his room and shutting the door.

             "Goodnight, Sire," Spike whispered. He walked over to the window and looked
             out. {Tonight, I 'ave a G.I. Joe to kill} he thought, laughing wickedly. {Oh
             the fun I'll 'ave indeed}

             ~Part 5~ In Hiding

             ~July 23, 2002~

             Buffy stood there crying. Everyone was there. Xander and Anya. Olivia and
             Giles. Tara and Oz. Spike. Willow stood beside her, asking her if she was
             sure she could do this. She nodded.

             The others looked at each other. It was 1:30 a.m, and Buffy had called them
             all. She had done made her phone call to Cordelia in L.A, and told her what
             was wrong. Now, she had to tell the others.

             "I know ... you are all wondering ... why exactly you're here ..." all heads
             nod. "I uh ... I am calling off the wedding," she said, trying to hold back
             more tears.

             "What?" "Oh no!" "Why?" were the questions and comments being thrown around.

             Buffy looked to Willow for comfort. Willow wrapped her arm around Buffy and
             put the other one on her shoulder. Buffy looked back at the others, and
             continued.

             "I just don't think ... I'm ready for this. Riley ... Riley ..." she tried
             to say the rest, but collapsed to the ground in tears. Willow went down with
             her, and put both arms around her, and brung her head to her shoulders. She
             looked up at the others, and her eyes filled with tears. The others knew it
             was more than that, but dared not to ask the questions.

             Spike looked on. He couldn't believe the hell this woman was going through.
             He knew deep down that there was another reason for her calling off her
             wedding. She was in love with this man, and he couldn't understand why
             exactly she would get cold feet.

             A month had went by, and the gang had little or no contact at all with
             Willow or Buffy. Willow stood beside her through everything. She would stay
             up late at night with her until she stopped crying. She was her friend.

             Spike had stopped by occassionally to check up on the slayer. Willow would
             talk to him for hours about her progress. Although Buffy never knew about
             their talks, she could sense something deep within the blonde vampire. She
             wasn't sure why he was so concerned, but she was greatful that at least one
             of them had understood.

             ~August 24, 2002~

             "You're leaving?" Xander exclaimed. "Why?"

             "She ... we ... just can't stay here another day, Xander. Buffy is feeling
             lost, and well ... I just think she needs to get away," Willow explained
             calmly.

             "Willow, I don't blame you for wanting to take care of her, but do you
             honestly believe that taking her out of Sunnydale will cure her depression?"
             Giles asked.

             Willow nodded. "Giles, you told me that as her protector, I was sworn to
             look out for her at all times. No matter the consequences," Giles nodded.
             "This is what I think is best for her. If we leave Sunnydale, perhaps she
             can clear her mind, and not think about what has all happened. But better
             yet, if she clears her mind of all things, she can finally fix what is
             wrong," she pointed out.

             Xander and Giles nodded. They knew Willow was right. She needed to get away
             and think about everything that has happened in the past two years,
             especially the past month, and get out of her depression. They both agreed
             that the sooner the two girls left, the better off they would be.

             When Willow left that evening, she had one more stop to make. This one stop
             could possibly change the whole outcome of the trip. But, deep down inside,
             she knew it was the right one.

             She looked at her watch and noted the time. She needed to get back to Buffy
             soon. She would make that stop tomorrow evening. Now, she would only
             concentrate on Buffy.

             ~August 25, 2002~

             "Pet! You cannot leave Sunnyhell," Spike screamed.

             "I have no choice, Spike! If I had another choice, trust me! I would take
             it. Goddess, Spike. I love Buffy more than anything! She is my bestest
             friend, and I am her protector. I have vowed to do everything within my
             power to help her through anything and everything, no matter what!"

             Spike leaned up against the wall. He closed his eyes and thought to himself.
             {She can't leave me. If she leaves, I will be nothing}

             "Spike, listen to me please," Willow said, comforting him. "Even though you
             don't want to admit it, I know you love her as much as I do. But please
             believe me, Spike. This is best for Buffy. I need to get her away from this
             place so she can get better."

             Spike opened his eyes and looked deep into the green ones staring at him. He
             knew by the look in her eyes that she was sincere. This was indeed the right
             thing to do.

             "Where are you two gonna go?" he whispered softly.

             Willow backed away and turned around. "I haven't given it much thought. Just
             travel around. Maybe make a stop in L.A. Not really sure."

             "When are you leaving?"

             "Beginning of September hopefully. I want to be gone before our birthdays.
             Her's is the end of September and mine's the beginning of October."

             Spike nodded. He turned away from Willow to hide his tears. "Let me know 'ow
             things go for ya, Red," he said quietly.

             Willow nodded. "I will. I promise. Goodbye, Spike," she said, wiping away
             her tears, shutting the crypt door behind her.

             "Goodbye, Pets," he whispered, before closing his eyes. {I love you, Buffy}

             ~September 13, 2002~

             Buffy and Willow waved goodbye to the others. She couldn't believe how many
             tears they all cried for their leaving. Buffy did notice that one person was
             not there. One person she had longed to wish her goodbye. {Guess I was wrong
             about his friendship with me} she cried, wiping away her tears.

             {Why didn't you show up?} Willow thought silently. {You knew how much Buffy
             wanted to say goodbye. Damn you, Spike}

             ~September 17, 2002~

             "Spike!" Cordelia screeched.

             "'Ello, luv. Is the poof in?"

             Cordelia stood there, not knowing what to do. She blinked, then nodded her
             head. "Ye .. yeah. Uh, come in. He's in his office," she said, watching him
             go straight to Angel's office. {Spike? Here? With us? I hope the chip still
             works} she thought, shutting the door, and sitting back in her desk
             finishing her work.

             Angel looked up from his desk. "Spike?"

             "I need a favor," he said, taking a seat in front of Angel.

             "Please, have a seat," Angel mumbled. "What do you want, Spike?"

             "I need a place to stay for awhile. I won't stay long. Just long enough so I
             can get my own bloody place to live in."

             "I suppose you can stay here for awhile. Why exactly are you here?"

             "I can't exactly stay in Sunnyhell with those stupid commado boys still on
             my trail. And with Buffy now gone, there ain't no damn bloody slayer, and I
             can't protect myself," Spike said, not believing he just admitted to needing
             the slayer's protection. "Bloody hell! I'm turning into my poof of a Sire!"
             he mumbled, just loud enough for Angel to snicker to himself.

             "Spike, my boy. You will never change," he said, breaking into laughter.

             "Wha the bloody hell?" Spike questioned, watching Angel laugh. {I wonder how
             many drugs tha damn cheerleader has been feeding him}

             *Present Day: September 27, 2002*

             Buffy had been sitting in Angel's apartment with the others. She sensed
             something strange, but couldn't figure out what. She looked around the
             apartment, then back at the others. Angel saw her movements.

             "Buffy. You ok?" he asked.

             "Ye ... yeah. I'm fine. Just got a strange feeling that someone is watching
             me, that's all," she said, looking around.

             Angel looked at the figure in the shadows behind Buffy. "Uh, if you'll
             excuse me. I need to get something from the office," he said, making eye
             contact with the figure. Willow watched him as he hurried upstairs to his
             office, and that's when she saw him.

             {Spike? In L.A?} After she knew that both Angel and Spike were gone, she too
             excused herself. Buffy watched them all with curiosity, but stayed and
             listened to the others chat away.

             ~*~*~*~*~

             "Spike, why don't you just tell her you're here?" Angel questioned, taking a
             seat at his desk.

             Spike flopped down in the seat in front of him. "Angel, wha good would tha
             do? 'Uh? It would cause more problems. Tha poor girl 'as been through
             enough. You 'eard wha all Red said 'as 'appened to 'er the past few months.
             I won't be the cause of more of 'er problems. I refuse to do it."

             {He was there when I told Angel?}

             "Spike, I heard everything Willow said. But you need to tell Buffy and
             Willow you're here. Because if you don't, they will both find out
             eventually, and then it's gonna be my ass they're pissed at for *not*
             telling them myself."

             "Listen. I won't tell Buffy I'm 'ere. I can't do it," he screamed.

             Willow came out of the shadows. Her eyes found Angel's, and they slowly
             filled up with tears from anger.

             "Willow," he whispered.

             Her eyes left his, and she looked at Spike. "Buffy has been through hell and
             back the past few months. All she has looked for lately is a little bit of
             companionship. Finding out from someone else that you're here, would just
             make things more difficult. If you do not tell her by tomorrow, I swear to
             god, Spike. I will tell her, then I will have your head on a platter. And as
             for you, Angel. You better convince your baby boy here to do it, or your
             head will be along side his. You both got me?" she whispered through her
             anger tears.

             Spike and Angel both looked at each other, than they looked at her. They
             knew she meant business.

             Spike smiled sarcastically. "You sure you can do that to me, luv?" he said,
             getting in her face.

             "Try me," she whispered, never leaving the look of his blue eyes. She had
             both fists clinched together, and she was ready to fight if need be.

             Spike backed up slowly, realizing she would keep her word. He saw in her
             eyes how much she cared for Buffy, and would die to make sure Buffy was
             happy.

             "Why?" he asked calmly.

             "Why what?"

             "Why exactly should I tell 'er tha I'm 'ere? After all, it's *not* like
             she's gonna give a damn."

             Willow started to laugh sarcastically. "You vampires really are stupid, you
             know that?"

             Angel and Spike both looked at each other. Angel stood to walk beside Spike.
             "Now, Willow. I don't think that's called for."

             "Why not, Angel? Tell me that," she demanded.

             "I actually believe us to be very smart creatures," he grinned.

             Willow laughed again. "Vampires. I swear. I think that every century they
             get more retarded than they started out. You two are the most ignorant,
             stupidest, most blinded set of male vampires I have ever seen in my life!
             Goddess ... I don't even know why I'm wasting my time," she said, turning to
             leave. She turned back around before leaving, and looked at both vampires in
             the eyes. "You two had better wise up and soon. Either the two of you come
             out of hiding, or you're going to lose something you both cherish very
             dearly. And I'm not talking about your unlife. I'm talking about something
             that is deep within your hearts. Don't give me this bullshit about how
             vampires don't love, or trust, or live, or whatever it is you two say to
             hide feelings. But you two either wise up, or you're gonna both be very
             unhappy creatures for the rest of your unlives," she said, leaving.

             Both vampires looked at each other, stunned at what had just happened. They
             were indeed blind at what she meant. For the rest of the night, the two
             vampires just stood in front of the desk, trying to understand exactly when
             and where Willow grew up.
 
 

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